Not in one year, the God of Israel said,
Will I, before you, drive the evil out;
By little and by little shall it go,
Lest desolate the present land become;
By little and by little shall it go,
Lest savage beasts against you multiply;
By little and by little shall it go,
Until, at last, in strength you are increased.
Then you shall take your full inheritance,
Then you shall know your habitation sure,
Within the land, the promised land of old,
By your own firm, unflinching efforts won.
Let us remember, when the way is hard,
That men have ever progressed in this way.
By little and by little have they won
The crown of laurels, or the crown of thorns.
The men whose lives stand out as beacons bright
Have all won greatness by this rule of life.
Trusting in God, they won the promised land
By strength increased in trials overcome.
They were content to hold the truth in sight,
And watch the evil slowly disappear
By little and by little from the land,
Which they in strength could then possess and hold.
